LAW 1462 v00
:
Managing Complex Litigation: Counseling, Strategic Planning and Communications Skills for Lawyers Based on the Vioxx Experience

Last edit: Wed, 31 Jan 2018 22:00:23 GMT

Druthers submitted by: bnk13

Semester

Fall

Division

JD Adjunct

Instructors

UserID

Name

Email

bnk13

Kuhlik, Bruce

bruce.kuhlik@gmail.com

Course

LAW 1462 v00: Managing Complex Litigation: Counseling, Strategic Planning and Communications Skills for Lawyers Based on the Vioxx Experience

Title

Managing Complex Litigation: Counseling, Strategic Planning and Communications Skills for Lawyers Based on the Vioxx Experience

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Enrollment Limit:

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Days and Times:

W 11:10a-1:10p

Proposed Dates (mini-courses only):

Enrollment Limit:

15

Final Course Requirement:

Special Requirement

Assessment types:

Describe “Other”:

Learning Objectives:

Home Program

J.D.

Is Crosslisted:

No

Course Type

Seminar

Course Credits

2

Practicum Type

None

Course Description:

This course will focus on the broad array of skills needed by lawyers to manage complex litigation projects, including advising a board of directors, developing a strategic plan, organizing and managing teams, and communicating with the media. Each week, students will learn and put into practice these skills in the context of the actual litigation involving the drug Vioxx. After the drug was removed from the market in 2004, the pharmaceutical company, Merck, faced claims from over 60,000 individuals after the drug was linked to heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular events after long-term use. Merck’s decision to try these cases in federal and state courts, rather than seek an early settlement, further complicated an already complex legal situation. Using this rich fact pattern and drawing from the professor’s experience as Merck’s former general counsel, students will explore significant phases of this litigation, understanding the challenges faced by Merck’s lawyers “in real time.”

Class discussion and exercises will be based on readings that include instruction and background on the relevant skills, public information on the Vioxx litigation, and hypotheticals drawn from the litigation. Students should expect to prepare approximately six short written submissions, such as slide decks with notes, during the semester. Classes will include student presentations based on these exercises. Grades will be based on the interim written submissions, participation in classroom exercises and discussion, and a final written project.

Prerequisite Courses:

Corporations.

Strongly Recommended Courses:

Recommended Courses:

Mutually Exclusive Courses:

Additional Course Notes:

ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY AT ALL CLASS SESSIONS. All enrolled and waitlisted students must be in attendance at the start of the first class session in order to be eligible for a seat in the class and must attend each class session in its entirety.

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Personal Information

Name

Address

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Phone

Job Title(s)

Bio for Bruce Kuhlik

Bruce Kuhlik is chief administrative officer and general counsel of Pathfinder International, a global public health organization, where he is responsible for legal and compliance matters as well as advocacy, grants and contracts, operations, and other functions. He came to Pathfinder in 2017 after holding a number of positions in industry, private law practice, and government.

Professor Kuhlik served as senior advisor to the Commissioner of Food and Drugs from 2015 through 2016. From 2007 through 2015, he was general counsel of Merck & Co., Inc. In addition to leading Merck’s legal department, he had oversight responsibility for the company’s global public policy, global communications, federal government relations, corporate responsibility, and security functions. From 2005 through 2007, he served as the company’s associate general counsel. From 2002 through 2005, Professor Kuhlik was general counsel of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

Professor Kuhlik was a partner in the law firm of Covington & Burling from 1990 through 2002; previously, he was an associate at the firm. He chaired the firm’s food and drug and healthcare practice groups, providing advice and representation on the full range of issues facing industries regulated by the FDA.

From 1984 through 1986, Professor Kuhlik served as an assistant to the Solicitor General in the Department of Justice, where he briefed and argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. From 1981 through 1982, he was a judicial clerk to the Hon. Levin H. Campbell of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Professor Kuhlik also has served as an adjunct professor of law at NYU and the University of Pennsylvania and has been a guest lecturer at other law and medical schools. He is a member of the American Law Institute and a recipient of the Food and Drug Law Institute’s Distinguished Service and Leadership Award.